Espresso index or how much does espresso cost in the Czech Republic and Europe?

What is the espresso index?

Theidea of the espresso index originated from the so-called Big Mac index, which simply states that the same things should cost the same. In fact, the Big Mac is a great indicator of purchasing power parity. Every Big Mac, whether you have one in the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden or Japan, should be the same in content.

This means that it should also cost the same amount of money in a given currency. But that is not the reality. And so we can see how much one currency is undervalued or overvalued relative to another.

I have prepared such a comparison with espresso. You may want to argue that there is no such thing as espresso, but I have made my rules clear in my selection.

For the Czech Republic:

4 cafes from each region - 3 with a selection, 1 other
cafes from larger and smaller towns

For Europe:

Capital cities only
3 cafés with a selection of coffee from each country

Of course, the price of coffee also depends on the country of origin, variety or processing method. However, these rules should make the calculations as objective as possible.

Price of espresso in Czech cafes

So how does the price of espresso vary across the country? According to my research, the cheapest espresso is in Vysočina, Central Bohemia or Pardubice, but it should be noted that the differences in average are in the order of crowns.

However, I cannot completely refute the fact that in Prague you will pay a bit more for an espresso compared to the Czech average. The price of 50 CZK for an espresso is pretty standard here.

There is one more number I missed in the table, and that is the total average price. According to my calculations, it should be 45 CZK.

Another thing we must not forget is that the price does not necessarily tell us about the quality of the espresso. This can be seen perfectly well if you look at the prices of espressos from non-choice cafes. The price of these espressos is many times even higher than the price of a quality espresso from a selective coffee shop.

Average espresso price in major European cities

The differences in the regions of the country are not that significant, so I looked beyond the borders, specifically in 24 major European cities. Amap of European coffee shops from European Coffee Triphelped me with my selection .

ⓘ The guys from European Coffee Trip are one of the world's coffee influencers. You won't just find coffee advice and coffee shop tips with them.

I specifically looked at the menus for these 72 cafes. The espresso prices in Czech crowns were converted according to the current exchange rate of 24.57 CZK to 1 €.

So where can you pay extra for an espresso and where you won't have to dig deep into your pockets? The most expensive espressos are in Bern and Copenhagen.

While in Italy you'll pay practically a third of that. The price of an espresso in Italy is usually around €1. Italians simply love espresso and you can find it on every corner, which is why the price is so low. But if you prefer espresso from a selection of coffees, you will need to be more selective.

It's also important to note that the price of espresso varies depending on whether you drink it at the bar or have it delivered to your table. The price difference can be more than €1.

What was quite surprising to me myself was the low price of espresso in Lisbon. Here, on average, you'll only pay €35 for an espresso.

The price of 53 crowns for an espresso in Prague cafes is around the middle. Theaverage price of an espresso in these European cities is 58 CZK.

Espresso like from a café in the comfort of your own home

If you want to save time and money, making coffee at home is a great solution. And you don't have to give up quality and good taste. I wouldn't want to either.

You can make espresso at home for 8-10 CZK. Apart from the price of the coffee, the price also depends on the quantity used. Would you rather have an espresso or a doppio?

Of course, you can't do it without a coffee machine. However, if you consider that you'll be going to a café five days a week for an espresso for 45 CZK (and we all know that it often doesn't end up being just espresso), you'll recoup your investment in a few years.